If you are experiencing any of the above negative emotions,
it means that something traumatic has taken place in your life, which has left
you angry, humiliated, resentful, embarrassed, powerless, and confused. It could
be that your partners has left you for someone else, you were fired from your
job, your partner cheated on you, you are being accused of something, someone may be bullying you, you might have
failed an importance exam or you may have made a really poor choice in
judgment.

How do these negative
feelings make us think about our-selves and the world around us?

Feeling down with negative
emotions, can be defined as any feeling that may cause you to feel dejected and
sad. These negative emotions may make you loath yourself and others, and take
away your self-esteem and confidence.

With intense negative emotions,
most of our rational thinking goes out the window.We begin a journey of skewed or warped
thinking. We look at the situation only from one perspective (our own), because
our skewed irrational thinking won’t allow us to think any other way. That's because
we are so focused and fixated on our trauma, life crisis and what people might be thinkning or saying. This may lead to a
downward spiral of negativity.

This
negative thinking is self-sustaining, meaning, the more you think and feel in a
negative way about the situation, and the more the feelings of anger, sadness,
hurt, and resentment, frustration etc... will persist, and prevent you from
overcoming the crisis or trauma. These negative emotions, if not managed
correctly, can lead to depression, low level functioning, apathy and misery in
life.

Conversely, within the right appropriate context, negative
emotions like, sadness, anger, jealously and grief, are perfectly normal and
are a natural part of the healing process and life.The problem comes in when we get stuck there
in those negative emotions, and they prevent us from progressing and enjoying
life.Have you ever heard someone say, “That
person’s anger holds them back in life” or “his or her jealousy prevents him
from having a healthy relationship?”

Remember that emotions can be both positive and negative, are
psychological (they involve how we think) and are complex. What we think
manifests physically. Our brain (the organ) responds to our mind and psyche, by
releasing a series of chemicals and hormones. Simply put, the more negative and
stressed your thinking/feelings are, the more your brain will respond with a
supply of stress hormones and chemicals. In essence you can think yourself
sick!

The beautiful
thing is - the opposite is also true!This is where we can use methods of positive psychology to assist us in
dealing with the negative emotions, which may have been caused by a life crisis
or trauma.

What can you do to manage these feelings?

We can use
positive psychological exercises as tools to assist us in managing our negative
emotions. This can be done by building up stock of positive emotions and experiences.Basically we can counterforce our negative
emotions with positive ones. This will also help you cope better with the
situation or crisis that you are experiencing.

… But it’s
easier said than done! It requires dedication, commitment, will and determination!
Changing how you think is no easy task, but is life changing, liberating and
empowering - worth the hard work!

·Go for therapy – really talk about how you are
feeling, and what you are thinking about yourself and the situation

·Practice gratitude – keep a gratitude journal
and write down three things everyday that you are grateful for in your life. This
exercise forces you to focus on the positive good things in your life, even
though you might be in crisis or in a state of trauma

·Give your-self time to heal, but don’t become
stuck or self-destructive

·Smile - trick your brain into sending feel good
anti stress hormones, by using smiling exercises in the bathroom mirror, morning
and evening

·Do something to boost your self-esteem, get a
makeover, take up a challenge or start a project

·Give back – by helping out at a charity or
development project. This will help you heal and give you a sense of meaning. This
has a very powerful effect!

·Listen to good soul soothing music, nothing
heavy or sad

·Rest, restore and spiritually connect

·Eat well by eating brain stimulating foods.
Wholesome foods

·Exercise every day, this will assist your body
in mopping up the negative stress hormones, and by releasing feel good hormones

·Engage in activities that bring you positive joy and
pleasure. Spend time with close family and friends

How do you liberate and empower yourself from
these negative feelings?

Acceptance

Resilience

Self-forgiveness

Forgiveness
of others

Lessons learned

Remember, we
have this gift of life. Sometimes really terrible, horrific, humiliating & soul destroying
things happen to us and one another, and yes we sometimes make some poor
choices.The thing is, we have to keep
moving forward, progressing, loving, living and achieving.If we don’t, and we let the crisis and the traumas
consume our lives, then I’m afraid to say, the consequences are dire!

Happiness is the outcome of fulfillment and well-being! Knowing this difference makes all the difference! Eveyone deserves to be happy! Don't let the dogma of others dictate in your life! You can change your life today, the choice is yours, and yes, you do have that kind of power!

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